Leo's Queen for a Day
by SonicLover
Summary: Second episode. It's never a good sign when the queen of an African country is almost kidnapped at the same time that Clover and Mandy are running against each other for homecoming queen!
1. A Tale of Two Queens

LYROBIAN PALACE - 9:16 PM  
Queen Tassara sat in her royal chamber, combing her hair before a mirror. She then blew out the candle by her bedside and went to sleep.  
The night was ruined when a beam of green light shot into the window and enveloped Tassara, lifting her out of bed.

At that moment, the Queen's bodyguard, Akim, burst into the room.  
"Tassara!"  
He used one of the ropes decorating the curtains to lasso Tassara and save her just in time. The two of them looked out the window just in time to see someone ride away on horseback.

I guess the queen's subjects should be grateful that they weren't offered the opportunity to be …  
-  
Queen for a Day (Leo's Edition)

Author's note: Great beginning, eh? This isn't my usual format, but I'll use it for all future TS episodes. Well, on with the story! Oh, and one more thing. Remember the prank I played on Mandy at the end of the last ep? I'll be doing one of those at the end of every ep.  
-  
Chapter 1: A Tale of Two Queens  
-  
BEVERLY HIGH SCHOOL - 11:10 AM  
"I'm telling you, girls, Leo," Clover explained, "with my new digital video camera, I'm a shoe-in for homecoming queen!"  
Clover slipped a disc into a big monitor in the room. We watched Clover's little campaign video: "Vote Clover for queen! I swear I won't be mean!"

"Brilliant, isn't it?" The blonde seemed proud of her campaign, but we had other thoughts.  
"It's, um, great, Clover."  
"Yeah, in a painfully honest kind of way."

All of a sudden, the sound of a brass band filled the room. I jumped. "All right, who's the jerk who's running the school band through the cafeteria?"  
The jerk happened to be none other than Mandy. She removed Clover's video disc and replaced it with her own. "Out of my way, ladies!"

Clover took her disc back angrily as we watched Mandy's campaign video.  
"Clover is so over. It's Mandy who's dandy! Vote Mandy for homecoming queen! Yeah!"  
The room was filled with cheers. Ours weren't among them.

"Aw, cheer up, Clover," Mandy said. "You did your best. Besides, it's not like you really ever had a chance at becoming homecoming queen, especially since I've got the entire football team in my back pocket."  
"Must've had a hard time stuffing everyone in there," I commented.

"JB or varsity?" Alex asked.  
"Both!"  
"Wow. Impressive."  
"I think so," Mandy responded as Clover elbowed Alex. "So, why don't you just give up now, Clover, and save yourself the humiliation of losing to me in front of the entire school!"  
Clover reacted to this in the usual manner.

A LITTLE LATER  
Clover drank the tea in her glass.  
"Looks like you'll need to do some serious campaigning to beat Mandy," Sam suggested.  
"Are you kidding?" Clover replied. "I can beat Mandy on my worst hair day!"  
"What do you do," I quipped, "stand in front of Mandy's ballot box and make the voters laugh too much to vote?"

"Listen, Clover," a voice said from the balcony above, "I overheard everything, and I think I can help you with your campaign. Heck, I might even be able to secure the nerd vote for you. There's more of us than you think."  
"Thanks, but no thanks, brainiac," Clover replied. "I do my own campaigning." The boy left.

"Don't be so hard on Arnold," I told Clover. "He offered to help your campaign, remember?"  
"He'll get over it," Clover told us. "Come on, girls. You gotta help me campaign."

Clover approached the monitor, turned it off, and ejected Mandy's disc. She then threw it in a trash can outside the cafeteria.  
As we began to leave, we heard a whirring sound from the trash can. We approached and looked … and were immediately sucked in.  
Arnold opened the door and looked. The hall was empty.

THUMP! The WOOHP chute dumped us into a capsule that blasted off into the air.  
"Ew," Alex said as the capsule started to drop, "Jerry's really crossed the line this time!"  
"I hope he knows a good dry cleaner," Sam concurred.

The capsule locked into something on a WOOHP ship, dumping us out. My pencil had escaped from my ear during the ride; I found it in the capsule.  
Clover looked around. "If this means Jerry's offering us a surprise cruise, then I'm willing to forgive him for ruining our clothes!"  
Jerry stepped up to us. "No such luck, ladies."  
"AHEM!"  
"Right. Ladies and Leo."

CLICK!  
Jerry showed us a map on a projector. "Right now, you are en route to the northern African nation of Lyrobia, where there's been a rather unusual kidnapping attempt on the nation's queen, Tassara. We suspect it may have been perpetrated by the neighboring enemy nation of Kenyopia. The two countries have been at war for 20 years."  
"What do you mean by unusual kidnapping attempt?" Sam asked.  
"Apparently the perpetrator used some sort of anti-gravity device to literally lift the queen from her palace."

Alex responded to this one. "Cool!" Jerry's expression changed her mind in an instant. "I mean, that's terrible, just terrible."  
"Precisely why I'm sending you to protect Her Majesty. We don't want the existing conflict to escalate and spill over into other nations of Africa."  
Clover had trouble with this idea. "Great. How am I supposed to campaign when I'm stuck in AFRICA?"

Jerry ignored Clover's question. "And now for the gadgets."  
"Today you'll be receiving heat-sensor 6000 infrared motion-detector sunglasses …" He held a pair of sunglasses up to his eyes.  
"… compressed water capsules for proper desert hydration …" He gestured to this item on the table.  
… high-sensitivity electromagnetic bracelets, and an electromagnetic watch for Leo …" He put one bracelet on, activated it, and promptly found himself stuck to the metallic ceiling. He deactivated it and dropped down, laughing a little.  
"… powerful little gadget, and last but not least, keys to a brand-new RATVAT."  
This last one excited but confused Alex. "A brand-new RAT-what?"  
"A RATVAT: Rugged All-Terrain Vehicle And Tunneler. It'll be waiting for you when you arrive at the palace. And don't ding it; we just had it painted."

Sam had one last question. "And how do we get-"  
I stopped Sam. "Are you sure you want to ask that question?"  
"Quiet, Leo. As I was saying, how do we get to the palace?"

Jerry smirked, and pressed a button, dumping us through a tunnel into a watercraft and shooting us across the water.  
I had time for just one sentence: "I WARNED YOU, SAM!"  
-  
Next chapter, coming up! Soon! 


	2. The Spy who Would Be Queen

Queen for a Day (Leo's Edition)

Author's note: Okay, maybe "soon" isn't quite the right word. I've waited too long. It's time to update!  
-  
Chapter 2: The Spy who Would Be Queen  
-

LYROBIAN DESERT - 01:05 PM  
The four of us were riding camels across the desert. From back to front, there were Sam, me, Alex, and Clover. "This map is completely useless," Sam complained. "It's just sand, sand, and more sand."  
"What did you expect?" I reminded her. "After all, this _is_ a desert."  
"Well, we better get to civilization soon," Alex responded, "'cause this heat is totally drying out my skin. I need a mudbath ASAP!"

Clover collapsed on top of her camel. "It's official. This country is completely miserable, and so am I! I can kiss my dreams of becoming homecoming queen goodbye."  
"Too bad you didn't have someone back home who can do your campaigning for you," Alex responded.  
"Yeah," I added, "and you would, if you hadn't turned Arnold down the way you did."

Clover's face suddenly brightened. "That's it!" She got out her compowder and began to dial.  
Alex didn't understand. "What's it?"

I overheard Clover's call. "Arnold, it's Clover, you know, your best friend. I'm out of town, and I was wondering if your offer to help me with your campaign still stands. … You will? That's great! … Come on, Arnold, it's not my fault. I ate some bad sushi that made me act that way. … Anything, Arnold. Just name it. … WHAT? How about a nice lunch date instead? … Fine. I'll do it. But only for one day, and **only** if I win."

Clover hung up. "Things are suddenly looking up," she said, as if it wasn't obvious that she wasn't telling the truth.  
"You have the look of a girl who was just asked to date a boy she thinks is a total jerk," I commented. Clover didn't respond.

"I say it's high time we call Jerry and ask for real directions and get out of this desert," Sam decided.  
"Or," Alex added, "we could just ask someone at that nice house over there." She pointed at a VERY fancy house.

Sam folded up her map and looked. "That's not a house," she deduced, "it's the …"  
"PALACE!" we all exclaimed.  
"You guys," Sam explained, "be on your best behavior. Remember, we're dealing with a real queen."

LYROBIAN PALACE INTERIOR  
"Welcome to Lyrobia," the queen greeted us. "I'm Queen Tassara, and this is my sister, Makeda. I assume you've been briefed about the kidnapping attempt."  
"Totally," Clover responded, then quickly remembered her manners. "I mean, indeed. Jerry told us all about it. Sounds positively frightening, Your Honor."  
"Especially considering, the king of Kenyopia and I are to attend a peace conference in Geneva to sign a war-ending treaty. The fate of our nations depends on our safety."

"One has to wonder how that stupid war got started," I whispered to Sam, who shushed me.

Alex was the next to speak up. "Well, the best way to keep Her Excellency safe is to keep her, I mean you, out of sight."  
"True. Unfortunately, the palace is having a celebratory party tonight, and I'm obligated to attend."  
"In that case," Sam suggested, "we'd better come up with a plan."

"Excuse me," Akim said, walking in, "but I need to consult with Makeda about this evening's festivities."  
Not surprisingly, Clover fell in love with Akim in an instant. "Uh, no problem."

"Excuse us, Your Majesty," Makeda told us. "I can't tell you how grateful our people are to have your protection."  
"Thank you," Sam responded. "Would you be so kind as to show us where the kidnapping attempt occurred?"

TASSARA'S BEDROOM  
The girls and I searched all over the room for clues.  
"Well," Clover concluded, "besides the solid gold bed, nothing looks out of the ordinary to me."  
"She's a queen," I reminded Clover. "Of course she has a solid gold bed."

"Except for the floor," Alex commented. "It's totally dirty. I mean, no offense, Your Highness."

We approached to investigate. "This is where I landed when Akim saved me from the anti-gravity ray," Tassara explained.  
"Careful," I said as Sam collected a sample, "that stuff could be harmful. You don't know what it is."  
"Exactly why I'm going to send a sample to Jerry for analysis right away," Sam responded.

I glanced at Tassara. "About the festivities tonight? Does the real you have to come, or can you send a substitute?"  
"I can't let my people down," Tassara replied. "I have to come in person. Besides, who would believe that I would be unable to attend a party that takes place in my own house?"  
"Maybe not," Sam told us. "Leo just gave me an idea. I was thinking one of us should pose as Tassara while the other three pose as servants and thwart any kidnapping attempts. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea, Sammy," Clover responded, grabbing Tassara's crown and putting it on. "And, of course, I'll play the role of the Queen."  
Clover ran up to the Queen's mirror. "Now that I get to be a real Queen- a fake real one, at least- I could care less about being a dumb high school homecoming queen! I wonder what my first queenly duties should be. Oh, I know! I'll go on a royal shopping spree."

I rolled my eyes as Sam spoke up. "Uh, Clover, why don't you let Tassara decide what your duties should be."  
Clover sighed. "Fine. How do I look?"  
"Like a scarab beetle is holding your head hostage," I commented.

LYROBIAN PALACE BALLROOM - 09:35 PM (maybe, I couldn't tell, the Cartoon Network logo covered it up partially)  
"Queen" Clover shook hands with guest after guest. "Man," she said to herself, "I thought being the Queen was supposed to be fun. This reeks!"

Akim's voice jolted her. "Is there anything I can do for you, Your Majesty?"  
"Yes," Clover responded. "You can save me from this totally lame receiving line and help me cut a royal rug."  
"Huh?"  
"Duh! I want you to dance with me!"

The "Queen" tried to pull Akim to the dance hall, but he pulled away. "Very amusing, Queen Tassara. You know that it is your duty to stay in the royal receiving line."  
As you know, Clover isn't the kind of person who'll take no for an answer when turned down for a dance. "But you have to let me dance! I command you!"

Makeda, who was watching this whole spectacle, fainted on the spot, causing gasps throughout the ballroom. Akim picked her up. "Makeda, are you okay?"  
The Queen's sister came to immediately. "I guess all the evening's excitement must've gotten to me," she explained.  
"Perhaps you ought to go lie down."  
"… Good idea."

As Akim and Makeda walked off, the real Tassara seemed concerned. "That was quite nerve-racking."  
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," Alex assured her. "Everything's going to be fine."  
"Do you think we should've told Makeda about our plan?" I whispered to Tassara. "After all, she's your sister, and I don't think she should-"  
My sentence remained tantalizingly unfinished, as the proceedings were interrupted by a failure in the illumination of the festivities. In plain English, the lights went out.  
"Could be the kidnappers," Sam whispered. "We'd better investigate."  
Alex took Tassara to a nearby curtain and ushered her behind it. "Hide behind here, Your Majesty."

Meanwhile, Sam and I used our heat-sensor 6000's to scan the crowd. "I don't see anything," she said after a moment, "but I definitely smell something."

The whole spectacle's cause was revealed when Sam and I entered the banquet hall and found the culprit: _a blown circuit breaker._

"Oopsie," Alex explained as she entered. "Guess this wasn't the best place to recharge my compowder."  
"Not the best time, either," I added. "I was trying to recharge my DS right over there. Guess together they overloaded something."

"Well, at least it's just a blown fuse and not the kidnappers," Sam decided.  
"Yeah," I commented. "It really wasn't anything more than a distrac-"

"AIEEEE!"  
-  
What next? You'll have to wait to find out! 


	3. War and Peace

Queen for a Day  
(Leo's Edition)

Author's note: Yeah, I'm out of the lag. Time to continue!  
-  
Chapter 3: War and Peace  
-  
"-tion," I finished as two terrorist-looking men fled with the Queen Tassara impostor (a.k.a. Clover).

Alex and I blocked the exit. "Let her go!" Sam commanded.  
No such luck. A green ray zapped the kidnappers and started to lift them into the air.  
Sam acted quickly. She climbed onto a man's shoulders and began scaling a curtain. From there, she tried to grab Clover, but the curtain ripped, sending her plummeting.

Alex and I managed to push a couch over to catch Sam just in time. Then, the ripped curtain fell on top of her.  
"Are you okay?" Tassara asked as Alex and I removed the curtain.  
"I'm fine," Sam replied. "Wish I could say the same for Clover."

At that moment, Akim rushed in. "Makeda has been kidnapped, too. I went to check on her, and she's gone!"  
We gasped.

LATER  
We examined the floor, which was covered in a very familiar-looking green gunk. "Whoa," Alex commented, "deja vu."  
"This is the same substance we found in the bedroom," I added.  
Sam stood up. "Let's see if Jerry has any info on this stuff." She opened her compowder and called Jerry.

Jerry seemed to be perfectly calm, and he was having some bread and coffee. "Good evening, ladies, and Leo. How's the mission going?"  
"Oh, it's going great, Jer," Alex responded. "Lyrobia is way cool!" She caught a glance from Sam. "I mean, except for the part where Clover and the Queen's sister have been kidnapped."  
Jerry dropped his bread in his coffee. "Oh, my."

Sam spoke up next. "So, do you have any info on the sample I sent you? I think it might help us find them."  
"Yes, actually, the residue. Apparently it's some kind of magnetic compound found only in asteroids in outer space."

"Asteroids? That's strange."  
"And sad. I mean, just think of poor Clover. She hates outer space. She got a D in astronomy class."  
I blinked. "Doesn't seem possible that Clover and Makeda are being held in outer space, though. There's got to be another explanation. Tassara, what do you make of this?"

Tassara was quick on the draw. "I wonder if this has anything to do with the asteroid crater in the northern part of Lyrobia."  
"Bet it does," I replied. "Fits together well, doesn't it?"  
"I guess we'll find out when we get there," Sam responded, closing her compowder. "Come on, Alex, and you too, Leo."

Alex was a bit hesitant. "Wait! What about Queen Tassara?"  
"I'm coming with you," Tassara told us. "I've got to find Makeda; I feel responsible."  
I balked. "What? Are you crazy, Your Highness?"  
"Leo's right," Sam explained. "It might not be safe."  
"Well, it isn't exactly safe here," the Queen reminded us.  
"Good point," Sam responded, as she and Alex pointed at each other for no apparent reason.

LYROBIAN DESERT  
Sam was driving the RATVAT, with Alex and I as copilots. Tassara was in Clover's seat.  
Alex was enjoying the ride. "You know, the desert's not all that bad when you don't have to cross it on a stinky old camel."  
I concurred. "If there's any way to cross the desert, it's with- hey, what's that beeping?"

The wind was picking up. The word SANDSTORM was flashing on the display in front of us.  
"Forget what I said," Alex corrected herself. "The desert sucks no matter how you cross it."  
"Get ready to dive!" Sam commanded as she, Alex, and Tassara buckled their seatbelts. (Mine was already buckled. I always buckle it; it's become a reflex.)

The RATVAT burrowed under the desert sand, and the periscope went up. Alex was looking through the periscope. "Hey, cool!"  
I rolled my eyes.

SOMEWHERE IN LYROBIA - 11:23 AM  
"Queen" Clover was trapped in a wooden box, and the lid was lifted. A fierce-looking man wearing purple removed the cloth that kept her mouth shut.

Clover was furious. "Is this any way to treat a queen?"  
The man removed Clover's wig, revealing her true identity. "That's not the Queen, you fools! You've got the wrong girl! Go find Queen Tassara and bring her to me immediately!"

One of the man's henchmen asked a question: "What should we do with this one?"  
"She's useless to us. Ship her to Siberia!"  
The box's lid was promptly replaced.

ASTEROID CRATER - 07:21 PM  
The RATVAT emerged from the dirt in a jungle-type area. "Well, I guess we can say goodbye to the RATVAT's paint job," I commented.  
"This is it," Tassara told us as we exited the RATVAT.

"Talk about a change of scenery," Alex added, scanning the area with her Heat-Sensor 6000 infra-red motion-detector sunglasses.  
Sam also had her Heat-Sensor 6000's on. If there's any activity around here, we should be able to find it with these."

At that moment, Alex spotted something. "I see something across the crater. It's coming this way. Maybe it's the kidnappers."  
We rushed over to investigate. "I don't see anything," Sam told Alex.

As we pushed the foliage aside, we found what Alex had seen. I had time for just one sentence, and I made it good: "Alex, you dummy. That's a lion!"

In a second, we were on the run from said lion, and some of his friends. We reached the edge of a pit. "Great," I said. "Now how are we supposed to escape"?  
The ground was loose, and it crumbled, dumping us down a slide into a mud puddle at the bottom of the pit. "Does that answer your question?" Alex said to me.

"I guess you finally got the mud mask you wanted," Sam commented to Alex.

"Look!" Tassara said, pointing. We were looking at an area that had obviously been used recently.  
"This must be it," Alex commented as we explored the area. "I mean, it practically screams 'bad guy hideout'."

Sam found something on the floor. "This looks like the dust we found in Tassara's room. Let's check it out!"  
We advanced, not noticing a security camera that emerged from a fake brick and stared at us.  
The man in purple, who was watching us via the security system, spoke up. "Call off the search. The foolish girls have been nice enough to deliver the Queen right to our front door."

"Maybe I was wrong," Alex said, sitting on a crate. "It doesn't look like anyone's been in here for a hundred years."  
The crate shattered under Sam's weight, and inside was … guess who. "Hey!"

"Clover!"  
"Have you seen Makeda?"  
Clover was no help. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. And no, I haven't seen Makeda. I haven't seen anything but the inside of this crate."

I spoke up as Alex untied Clover. "Well then, where could she have ended up?"  
A familiar voice interrupted us. "I'm right here."

Tassara was overjoyed. "Oh! Makeda! You're okay!"  
"Yes." Makeda pushed Tassara back over to us. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for you five."  
I was somewhat shocked. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Another one of those anti-gravity rays hit the five of us, lifting us into the air and rendering us practically helpless. Tassara didn't understand. "What's this? What's happening?"  
"You're being kidnapped once and for all!"

"But why?"  
"How else can I stop you from going to Geneva and signing that treaty?"

I was furious. "How will you benefit from the continuation of the war?"  
Makeda was more than happy to explain. "You see, if the war ends, I won't be able to sell my anti-gravity guns to the general of Kenyopia."

Sam asked the next question. "I don't get it. Why would you sell weapons to the enemy?"  
"It's simple, really. I struck a deal. When Kenyopia wins the war, I'll be queen of both countries. In fact, I'm going to Lyrobia's weapons factory right now to finalize my deal with the General. Besides, it's time you passed the crown."

"But what about us?" Tassara asked. "You can't just leave us floating here forever!"  
"Don't worry, sis. You won't be floating for long." Makeda set a bomb on the ground. "This place is rigged to explode in a matter of minutes."

3:00 … 2:59 … 2:58 …

"So long, girls. And boy."

Clover was not happy. "Great. Now what are we supposed to do?"  
"Panic?" I suggested.  
"Very funny, Leo," Sam told me. "We've got to break the gravity field."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Alex reminded us. "The only devices we have left are these dumb bracelets, and Leo's watch band. Which, may I add, are totally gaudy."  
Sam's face suddenly brightened. "Alex, you are a genius!"  
"I am? I mean, yes, I am! How am I a genius again?"  
"Quick, everybody turn your bracelets on!"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! We broke out of the anti-gravity field and collapsed on the ground.

0:07 … 0:06 … 0:05 …

"Anyone up for leaving?"  
We all bolted, and managed to escape the full destructive force of the explosion. We didn't escape getting blown through the air and landing in the mud again, though.

Alex emerged from the mud. "Okay, my pores are officially over-hydrated."  
"Stop messing around, Alex," Sam said, "we've got to get to that weapons factory right away!"  
"It's hidden in Mt. Killalea," Tassara told us. "I can take you there."

We quickly found ourselves chased by lions again. "Quick," Sam told us, "to the RATVAT!"  
-  
One chapter left! 


	4. The Homecoming

Queen for a Day  
(Leo's Edition)

Author's note: Yeah, yeah, long time waiting, out of the lag, you know how it goes.

-

Chapter 4: The Homecoming  
-  
KILLILEA MOUNT - 03:05 AM  
Sam scanned the mountain with a pair of WOOHP binoculars. "There's the entrance," Alex figured, "just like Tassara said."  
The RATVAT provided us with an excellent entrance into the factory. Four Kenyopian guards rushed in to investigate the break-in, but we had taken cover behind some barrels.

We scrambled up the staircase and crossed a catwalk. "What is this place?" Alex wondered.  
"Apparently this is where Makeda's scientists build the anti-gravity guns," Sam responded.

A big door opened, and Makeda and the Kenyopian general walked in. "Look," Alex said, pointing, "it's Makeda and the general."  
"Duh," I responded. "Like that wasn't obvi-"

Some guards sighted us on the catwalk, and fired their weapons at us. We grabbed some cables and slid down.  
Makeda wasn't too happy about the sudden intrusion. "GUARDS!"

The battle that commenced was intense. As a guard fired, Sam took cover on a handcart near a fire extinguisher, and kicked a container of something into the gun's path.  
Having the jump on the guard, Sam rolled out on the handcart and used the fire extinguisher to blast water at the guard, knocking him away.

Two guards, meanwhile, approached me with their guns. I ducked around the corner, and threw something on the ground as they started to follow.  
WHOOPS! The guards slipped on a puddle of water and fell to the ground. "Gee," I thought to myself, "I'm glad I went easy on those compressed water capsules."

Alex wasn't having too much luck. She was about to fire a ray gun at Makeda, but someone fired a net at Alex. Tassara saved her just in time.  
Then, Alex fired the ray gun at Makeda. The shot bounced off a garbage pail lid Makeda was using as a shield, off a wall, and shocked Alex head-on, giving her a bad case of static-electricity hair.  
This didn't bode well with Alex. "What kind of an evil place is this?"

Clover was having her own problems, as she used some odd gloves to break the seat of one of the scientists, and was promptly grabbed and thrown halfway across the room by a guard.  
Alex was admiring her new hairstyle, and when she heard Clover screen, the ray gun slipped from between her legs and fired a shot by mistake, which ricocheted until it zapped the guard who had Clover.  
The guard fell. "Take that," Clover taunted. I rolled my eyes.

Makeda and the general approached Alex, and had her cornered. She grabbed the nearest item and held it over her head. "Don't move, or I'll blast you with this … lame … radio … thingy. Oh, shoot!"  
"Are you crazy?" Makeda exclaimed. "Put that down! You'll destroy us all!"  
"Huh?"

"It's a highly sensitive earthquake generator, you fool!"  
Alex was not fooled. "Yeah, sure it is. Nice try, guys." She raised it over her head … and promptly found that she had just refused to believe the truth.

The whole mountain began to crumble. All sorts of scientists and guards fled the base. On her way out, Sam grabbed something.  
Makeda and the general, unfortunately, managed to get away on motorized hang gliders before we could make chase.

Almost.

"Not so fast," Sam said, as she and Clover fired one of Makeda's anti-gravity rays, suspending the motorized hang gliders in place until WOOHP helicopters could arrive.  
One helicopter landed, and Jerry stood at the entrance. "Excellent work, girls."  
"No time for congratulations, Jerry," Clover reminded Jerry as we rushed onto the helicopter. "We have to get Tassara to the peace conference in Geneva right away!"  
Jerry was left scratching his head, until the closing helicopter door threw him off his feet.

BEVERLY HIGH SCHOOL - 10:12 PM  
"I'm so glad to finally be home," Clover decided. "I mean, is it me, or was that the worst mission ever?"  
Sam disagreed. "Worst mission ever, what are you talking about?"  
"Yeah," Alex concurred, "we just helped end a 20-year war!"

"Whatever," Clover replied in disgust, "being Queen was totally lame!"  
I smirked. "In that case, I suppose you don't want to get elected homecoming qu-"

"Hey," Alex interrupted, pointing, "check it out!"  
Fireworks were going up, and a blimp displayed the message VOTE FOR CLOVER. "I guess this means Arnold's been busy," Sam deduced.  
We arrived at Clover's campaigning booth, where Arnold was setting things up. "Clover, you're back!"

At that moment, an announcement came over the P.A. "Attention students: the results of the homecoming waits are in. This year's queen is none other than (pause for effect) Clover!"

Needless to say, Mandy was furious. "I can't believe it! I lost!"  
Clover, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "I can't believe it! I won!" She hugged us. "Isn't it the greatest?"  
Sam was a bit hesitant. "I thought you were over the whole queen thing."  
"Are you kidding? I can't wait to begin my reign, and I promise to make you three my servants, uh, I mean advisors."

The same boy who was helping Mandy with HER campaign approached Clover. "Congratulations, Clover. Say, what do you think about you and me going steady?"  
"I say you've got yourself a da-"  
Arnold pushed the other boy aside. "Hold your horses, Clover. Remember your promise? You're my girlfriend, at least for today."  
Clover was understandably unexcited. "Oh. Right."

As Arnold and Clover walked off, we saw Clover hold up a HELP! sign. "Oh well," Sam commented as we waved, "every queen needs a king."  
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," I replied. Then I turned to Mandy. "Cheer up, crow-hair," I told her, patting her back. "Maybe you'll win next year."  
Mandy smiled a little. "Gee, Leo, this is so kind and unlike you. Since when have you acted this way?"

As Mandy walked away, she was surrounded by laughter. It took mere seconds to realize that the laughter was directed at HER. She immediately asked the nearest student a question: "Hey, why's everyone laughing at me?"  
"Sure beats me … loser!"  
Mandy balked. She ran into the girls' bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. "I know I didn't make it in the running for homecoming queen, but that's no reason for anyone to call me a loser!"  
Something fell off Mandy's back. She looked at it; it was a Post-it note. It read: "I'M A LOSER".

It took mere seconds for Mandy to put two and two together, and realize that I had applied the Post-it note when I was patting her back.  
Her reaction was no different than usual: "LEO!"  
-

THE END

Here are your choices for the next episode. The title in parentheses is the real title of each episode, the other one is one I made up.  
DON'T Get Zooney (Zooney World)  
True Love is Hard to Find (Green with N.V)  
Cursing is Prohibited on WOOHP Grounds (Mummy)  
Freak Out (Freaky Circus Much?)  
A Different Kind of Cramming (Abductions)  
The Inner Child (Child's Play)  
Feature Presentation (Model Citizens)  
Identity Crisis (The Fugitives) 


End file.
